Teachers' Professional License – Subject Test: Science 1: free practice test

Practice question Unit: History, Nature and Integration of Science

1. ANo, a law describes what happens and a theory explains why it happens, and neither turns into the other ✓ Correct answer

   Correct: a law describes a phenomenon, often by a mathematical relationship, and a theory explains its cause; both keep their own roles.

2. BYes, a theory is a law whose evidence is incomplete, and its name changes once the evidence is complete

   This is a common misconception; a theory is not an incomplete law but a different kind of knowledge whose function is explanation.

3. CYes, but that happens only to theories that most scientists agree on completely

   Agreement among scientists does not change the type of knowledge; a theory remains an explanation even if everyone accepts it.

4. DNo, because a theory is an untested hypothesis, so it ranks below a scientific law

   A theory is not an untested hypothesis but an explanation supported by much evidence, and there is no ranking that places a law above it.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.1 (nature of science and history of scientific development), indicator 3, p. 8

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Practice question Unit: Experimentation, Mathematical Skills and Data Representation

1. A8 mm

   The field does not widen with higher magnification; it narrows.

2. B4 mm

   The value exceeds the original, but the field shrinks at higher power.

3. C1 mm

   This value fits only a doubling of magnification, not a fourfold increase.

4. D0.5 mm ✓ Correct answer

   Magnification increased fourfold, so the field diameter falls to a quarter: 2 ÷ 4 = 0.5 mm.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.3 (laboratory work and safety), indicator 5, p. 8

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Practice question Unit: Biology

1. AReleasing carbon dioxide in exhaled air ✓ Correct answer

   Excretion is removing metabolic waste, and carbon dioxide is produced by cellular respiration.

2. BPassing solid faeces out through the anus after digestion

   Faeces are mostly food that never entered body cells, so this is egestion, not excretion.

3. CExpelling undigested food by vomiting

   Vomiting expels food that was not digested or absorbed; it is not a cell metabolic product.

4. DSwallowing food and pushing it to the stomach

   Swallowing is part of eating, not the removal of any waste.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.6 (structure and function in living things), indicator 1, p. 9

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Practice question Unit: Biology

1. ALess dissolved oxygen, and fish need more of it ✓ Correct answer

   Gases dissolve less in warm water, while the metabolism of cold-blooded fish rises so they need more oxygen.

2. BMore dissolved oxygen in the water

   Gas solubility falls as temperature rises, so oxygen does not increase.

3. CUnchanged dissolved oxygen and lower activity

   Dissolved oxygen is affected by temperature and does not stay constant.

4. DLess dissolved oxygen, and fish need less of it

   Warming raises the metabolism of cold-blooded fish, so they need more oxygen, not less.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.8 (ecology, ecosystems and their interactions), indicator 2, p. 9

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Practice question Unit: Earth Science and Astronomy

1. AEarth's shadow is smaller than the Moon, so it covers the Moon only rarely

   Earth's shadow at the Moon's distance is several times wider than the Moon, so alignment would produce an eclipse.

2. Bthe Moon orbits Earth once every 24 hours and misses the moment of alignment

   The Moon completes its orbit in about 27 days, not 24 hours.

3. Cthe Moon's orbit is tilted about 5° to Earth's orbital plane, so exact alignment is rare ✓ Correct answer

   Because of the tilt the Moon usually passes above or below Earth's shadow, so exact alignment occurs only at certain times.

4. Dthe Moon spins too slowly on its axis to keep its shadow pointed at Earth

   A shadow points away from the Sun whatever the Moon's spin, so the spin does not decide whether an eclipse occurs.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.10 (the solar system and Earth's place in it), indicator 2, p. 10

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Practice question Unit: Chemistry

1. A3 g/cm³ ✓ Correct answer

   Density = mass ÷ volume = 120 ÷ 40 = 3 g/cm³.

2. B0.33 g/cm³

   This divides volume by mass (40 ÷ 120), which inverts the formula.

3. C80 g/cm³

   This subtracts volume from mass; density is not found by subtraction.

4. D160 g/cm³

   This adds mass and volume; density is not found by addition.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.12 (nature and components of matter), indicator 1, p. 10; density = mass ÷ volume

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Practice question Unit: Chemistry

1. Agroup 6, period 2

   The element has three occupied levels, not two, so it is in period 3.

2. Bgroup 16, period 2

   The group is right, but there are three levels, so the period is 3.

3. Cgroup 16, period 3 ✓ Correct answer

   Correct. Its configuration is 2, 8, 6: three levels give period 3, and six valence electrons give group 16.

4. Dgroup 8, period 3

   The valence electron count is six, not eight, so the element is in group 16.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.13 (the periodic table of elements), indicator 1, p. 10

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Practice question Unit: Physics

1. A50 N

   This would be right if the plane were 4 m long, but the given length is 5 m.

2. B40 N ✓ Correct answer

   The work needed is 100 × 2 = 200 J, which equals force × length of the plane, so force = 200 ÷ 5 = 40 N.

3. C200 N

   200 is the amount of work in J, not the force; it must be divided by the length of the plane.

4. D250 N

   This comes from inverting the ratio: 100 × 5 ÷ 2; an inclined plane reduces the force needed rather than raising it above the weight.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.18 (forces and motion of objects), indicator 1, p. 11; work = force × distance

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Practice question Unit: Physics

1. A2 N ✓ Correct answer

   The displaced water has mass 200 g = 0.2 kg and weight 0.2 × 10 = 2 N, which is the buoyant force.

2. B0.2 N

   0.2 is the mass of displaced water in kilograms, not its weight in newtons.

3. C20 N

   20 N would correspond to 2000 cm³ of displaced water, ten times the given volume.

4. D200 N

   200 N comes from mixing grams with newtons without converting units.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.19 (principles and concepts of fluids), indicator 2, p. 11; buoyant force = weight of displaced fluid

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Practice question Unit: Science Teaching

1. ALetting pupils roam freely on the farm because the place is familiar and needs no advance organization

   Roaming with no goal or organization turns the trip into an outing that may not reach the learning outcomes.

2. BPostponing any talk about the trip's goals until the return so pupils' observations are not influenced

   Without goals, observation is random; pupils need direction before the trip.

3. COnly getting permission for the trip and then asking pupils to write what they saw from memory in the next lesson

   Writing from memory afterwards weakens observation accuracy and does not make up for missing planning.

4. DSetting the trip's goals, visiting the site first and preparing an observation sheet for pupils to fill in ✓ Correct answer

   Clear goals, knowing the site and an observation sheet make the tour organized and tied to learning outcomes.

Reference: ETEC Science Teacher Standards – Level 1 (2020), Standard 6.37.25 (general science-teaching skills and current trends), indicator 2, p. 13

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